At Home in Arkansas

We found this comfortable spot here in mountains of Arkansas just by chance.   There are benefits to travel in the off-season; fewer people, less traffic, fewer people, lower prices, fewer people and easy access to better accommodations.  Did I mention fewer people?

Los Lagos is a time share with one and two bedroom units, located on the Lake Desoto.  The in-unit laundry was a draw for us.  We booked the first two nights on Priceline for less than we would have paid at a local motel.  We added another night as soon as we arrived; this is definitely a “Kum & Stay” kind of place.

Once again this morning we enjoy our coffee while watching the sun rise through the pines from our couch before heading out for a walk in the clean, crisp mountain air.  

Hot Springs Village

Hot Springs Village is the largest gated community in the United States with more than 26,000 heavily-wooded acres.  This little city is Governed by a Property Owners' Association with the day-to-day running handled by an average of 475 employees assigned to one of six departments: Administration, Golf, Planning & Inspections, Public Safety, Public Works, and Recreation.  The village boasts of eleven lakes and 20 miles of walking paths.  We have seen signs which indicate that many here have golf carts, although we have not seen any.   Have I mentioned fewer people?

The Valley of the Vapors

Even before it was settled in the 17th century, people came to Hot Springs looking to the healing powers of the hot water to cure all that ails them.  People also drink the water from the cold springs, which have different chemical components and properties.  Scientists have determined that the water emerging from the hot springs is over 4,000 years hold.  Bathhouses were erected over the springs. 

The National Park has a visitor center located in the Fordyce Bathhouse which has been set up for tours.   Built in 1914, it is beautiful with white marble walls and stain glass. This magnificent structure was just one of seven built, a three story, turn of the century spa, providing for the well-being of the patrons.  In addition to baths and message and hydro therapy and exercise machines, there was a music room, men’s lounge with billiards and bowling, a sunning area and a variety of gathering rooms for reading and conversing.  It is so hard to believe that this was how it was 100 years ago!

We were sure that there was more to the story so we dug a little deeper.  We were right!  

As recent as 1967, large scale illegal, casino style gambling and brothels were in operation in Hot Springs.  Frequented by gangsters and enabled by corrupt politicians and police.     Did you know that Joe Kennedy was Al Capone’s bootlegging partner? 

Wow, what you can learn for $24 plus tax.

Several of the original seven are in operation as modern spas today.  We could not miss the opportunity to visit one of these amazing bathhouses for ourselves.  We selected Quapaw Spa because of the mineral pool.   In the pool area there were four, art deco shaped pools complete with water falls.  The upper pool which ran the length of room was up a few stairs and ran behind and above the other three.  The stained glass ceiling is the perfect finish for the room.   Each pool is a different temperature, between 93 and 104.  Sitting in the water was amazing.  Immediately your skin began to tingle.  Attendant brought you iced mineral water and kept the floor dry.  I am pretty sure that I fell asleep lying on the teak deck lounger.

Another great day.

Life's Lovely Detours

After having some interesting coffee conversation with Mark Hooper we jumped back in the car.  We had enjoyed meeting  his lovely family the night before.    The world is full of so many nice people.  They actually live in the city where we are headed for tonight.  Hot Springs Arkansas is not really on the direct path from Minnesota to California  but the thought of “hot” anything now seems appealing.

As we leave Kansas City, I see this bridge that I recall seeing before, probably in a movie.

The Christopher S. Bond Bridge in Kansas City, Missouri is a cable-stayed bridge across the Missouri River.   Very cool.

Heading south through western Missouri is a nice relaxing drive through the country.  There seems to be less corn and more black cows than we saw yesterday.   You can still see forever as you look across the countryside.  I wave as we pass another car with a Minnesota license plate.  They wave back.

Once across the Arkansas border you can immediately tell that the landscape has changed.   This must be the Ozarks.  Blue ridges now frame the horizon.  Slowing way down, we leave the Interstate. We have been seeing rock exposed along roadway but now the highway is cut through large walls of rock. Beautiful hillsides filled with a mix of pine and hardwoods.  Scenic highway 7 winds back and forth as we make our way up and down the hills.  A new beautiful scene appears around each turn.  I am so glad that we decided to go to Hot Springs. 

Tired and hungry we go in search of a German restaurant that we had heard about.  Hard to find but appropriately named for the location.  Steinhaus Keller is really in a “keller” or cellar.  It is located below the grotto of Spenser’s corner in old downtown area of Hot Springs.  Surrounded by rock archways where tobacco dried over a hundred years earlier. With German music playing we of course ordered some "brau" as we checked over the menu.  It was hard to pass on the cabbage rolls but selected the Schnitzel (breaded pork cutlet for you not so germans).  Brad ordered the sausage and kraut which came with pork tenderloin and German potato salad.  The food was so good.  

Hand mashed potatoes and gravy to die for. Hot potato salad like mom's.   Diet and exercise will have to wait for a different day.

Riding the Polar Votex

So Mother Nature continues to be the fem fatale of the first act of the Amazing Retirement Adventure.  Meteorologists have named this crazy cold weather as a “polar vortex”.  Whatever the name, it is causing snow is Alabama and very cold weather all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.   The weather has caused the schools in New Orleans to close.  So crazy.  We have decided to embrace amazing event and take a free ride on the Polar Vortex.

Kum & Go

Getting to Iowa was a great relief.   Just north of the boarder the highway was littered with abandoned cars and tractor trailers.  I am very glad we brought cold weather gear and our survival kit- and that I have the best driver on the planet at the wheel.   After a very tense pre-dawn start, the sight of the first Kum & Go station made me chuckle.

I love Iowa.  Beautiful farms as far as you can see.  Some very simple and some very elaborate.  And, my dad was born in Le Mars, Iowa.  Le Mars is the ice cream capital of the world.  Did you know that more ice cream is produced in Le Mars, IA than in any other city in the whole world?  He just loved Ice Cream, me too!

Oklahoma Joe's

Cold or no cold, Kansas City is home of BBQ and no one does it better than Oklahoma Joe's.   We arrived in Kansas City early enough to head over to the gas station where it all started.  Very cute place and it really is in a gas station, even today.  In spite of the casual order it up line, the BBQ is SOOOOOO good.  We ordered one Smokie Joe, one Carolina Pork, french fries and gumbo.  The gumbo, OMG, so good. Sandwiches, amazing.   Worth every penny of the $100 in gas it cost to get here. 

Where have all the post cards gone?

It had never occurred to me that I would have trouble finding postcards.  I finally found my first postcards to send to the grand kids in Garrison at Tutt’s Bait Shop.  Great little local stop right on MN highway 18.

Did you know that the first post card was sent through the US mail in 1848?  I ran across some old post cards in a box when I was packing for the move.  One was from my parents when they were on a trip to Hawaii.   This is from 1972 – 8 cents paid to transport this card over the ocean and hand carry it to my home.  

I remember many road trips with my parents, we would stop and a cute souvenir store and buy post cards - along with stick candy and an ice cream cone.    Hmmm, I love Ice Cream.

It still amazes me that for a few cents you can drop a card in a box and someone will pick it up and deliver it to anywhere in the world.  AND this has been going on for over 100 years.  With text and email they are not currently a part of how we communicate.  I hope they never go away.   It would be such a shame.

Postcards are a real, tangible part of our personal history.  I remember how special it was to get them in the mail.   I wish that I would have kept more of them. 

If you have any postcards, take a photo and share.

More Snow and Cold

“…Temperatures Monday will be 15 to 35 degrees below average with highs from the minus teens in Minnesota and eastern North Dakota to the single digits and teens in the Ohio Valley and the teens and 20s in Kansas. Tuesday morning lows could range from the minus teens in the northern Ohio Valley and near -20 in Chicago to the minus 20s and possibly some minus 30s in Minnesota.

- Numerous cold records are possible with this arctic blast through the middle of next week…”

Tomorrow is the day that we head out on our amazing adventure.  Like most things so far on this journey to retirement, it appears that this will not come easy.  Brad is a great driver and we will only go as far as we can.  We have already accepted that we might not make it to Kansas City tonight.   

We have been camping out at Travis’ for a couple of nights on our first ‘couch stop’.  We mailed the request for tax extension, bought some ”Minnesota” gifts, did some laundry and re-packed boxes.  We did enjoy a few more days with the Kitty and Travis before we headed out.  I have some snacks and water for the car and an overnight roller bag so we can minimize the stuff we will haul into the hotel. 

Nic and the kids will miss the blog posts so I have decided to send post cards to them along the way.  They are so cute, going to miss the smiles and giggles and hugs.

Planning – When do we leave?

In spite of all the conveniences that the digital world brings, I find myself on the floor surrounded by maps and the atlas, making notes on a yellow pad.  Charting out the next three months seems very overwhelming.  

I start with the month one goal; get to California before March 1.   Month 2 goal is easy, sit on the beach in Cabo.  Month three is really the one that I get the most excited for, up the coast of California, to the wine country and then to Paradise to meet up with my nieces and nephew.  From there we head back to the coast and follow the ocean all of the way to Portland where we will meet our good friends.  Capping the adventure will be the magnificent trek through the northern Rockies.   Wow, seems like an amazing retirement adventure to me.  I am feeling very grateful and very excited.  Feels like a dream.

Getting a smooth take off is very important.  We have done a fair amount of travel over the years and it seems that the mood of the first few days seems to set the tone for the whole trip.  Planning for me seems to shake out the early missteps.  I list the major stops between here and California; Waco to see Britt, Albuquerque to see Kris, somewhere in Arizona getting to California before March 1.  Determining the mileage between each of these will help estimate the time needed for travel and help estimate the timing of each major stop.  I want to give our hosts a general idea of the timing of our arrival.  I think that we can get between each major stop in 6 days.  This is really coming together.

MINNESOTA to TEXAS

The First Leg, bringing us to Waco.  I really want to get as far from the cold as soon as possible so the first day needs to be a big travel day.  Looking at a 450 mile radius from Minnesota I see Kansas City.   Hmmm… ribs, for me, food is right up there on the list of important things in life to enjoy.   Seems like a good first stop.  I will get a couple of ideas for great BBQ from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Looking on the map for interesting places to see, I notice the marker for Hot Springs National Park.   That sounds like an interesting stop.  It is a little out of the way but that is what this adventure is all about.  We will want to spend some time here so I think two nights makes sense.  It looks like we can find plenty to do.

The direct path from Hot Springs, AR to Texas is less than 400 miles.   I would like to take a less traveled path and leave the final decision on the exact roads to the night before we leave Arkansas.  I do want to plan for two days though, just to give us time to explore.

If we want to get to Waco by the weekend, we will want to leave on Monday.  Yea!   We will plan to leave very early, to get out of town before rush hour.   Although, with temp expected to be -23, we  may be the only people out on the road.  Lucky us!

Preamble – The Last Box

The last box is sealed and loaded on the truck.  I walk through the house for one last check.   I pause briefly in the door of each room, remembering the moments that brought us here.  Thirty five years is a long time to live in any one place. 

First home and first occupants we were destined to be a good fit, this house and us.  Just married and with no money many rooms were empty for a long time.  Slowly they were filled, first with dogs, then beautiful babies.  Bounties of family and friends helped us fill the house with love, laughter and some tears.  Good home, good life. 

WOW, What a Winter!

Having planned a 3 month “get-away”, we were thinking that we would miss winter this year.   OK, so not so much.  It goes without saying for anyone living through this, that the winter is hard.  It seems that we started with early snow followed by early cold, then more snow and really cold.

SNOW

A small snowfall can really snarl rush hour.  I admit, I take a small amount of perverse pleasure in listening to the traffic report.  I did drive through the nonsense that the snow provided us in December.  That was plenty.

New snow makes the woods even more magical.  Highlighting every branch of every tree.  The only sound is the squeak of your boots. 

COLD

Nothing works when it is really cold.  Not the garage door, not the car.  Who knew that the “gas” would leak out of those little shock absorber looking things that open the hatch of your SUV.  Who knew that door was so heavy!

Two more days,  then we blow this Popsicle stand!

RETIRED?

So we have been talking about “retiring” at the end of the year since about, um,  last January.  So here we are, a year later, retired.   Not exactly sure what that means but based on what I have read on the subject of retirement, it is what we “make” it.  That feels like more pressure than I was expecting.  After 50+ years of thinking through the consequences of every single decision, I was hoping that I could just let retirement happen.

I was never one to back off of an opportunity to over-think anything so here we go.    We quit our jobs, closed our businesses, sold our house and moved the belongings we had to have to our “yet to be finished” cabin.   Now one would think that this would be a good time to finish that cabin, but not us!   We opt instead for a RETIREMENT RE-BOOT.

Something like a month long road trip followed by a month in Mexico and wrapped up with another month on the road.

This blog, is another grandiose idea.  We will have to see how they both work out. 

I am not sure that this is an idea which is over-thought but it is for sure that we are not moving gently into retirement.